Traditionally, cleaning compositions, particularly commercial laundry detergents and soaps available in the marketplace, function as substances that physically remove dirt, soil, and stains from the textile surfaces being cleaned. These commercial detergents and soaps are surface active materials containing surfactants and concentrate at the textile surfaces where the dirt resides. The cleaning surfactants are in equilibrium with like surfactants in the wash cleaning liquid. Simply stated, these surfactants physically incorporate (dissolve) the dirt, oil, or stains in their micelles and then transport them away from the textile surfaces and into the bulk of the cleaning liquid.
The popularity of these commercial soaps and detergents in the marketplace is legendary, and their ability to physically clean textiles is adequate for most common soils and dirt; however, these detergents and soaps are less effective in removing oily soils and/or hydrophobic stains.
Traditionally, a commercial method of chemical cleaning or bleaching is used to remove stains. The actual dirt causing the stain is not physically removed from the surface being cleaned. The dirt is bleached, i.e., chemically altered, to a colorless state.
Typical commercial bleaching agents contain hypochlorites. A hypochlorite is a chemically strong oxidizing agent generally preferred to the weaker hydrogen peroxide. Hypochlorite is effective as a stain-removing bleach, but has a major drawback, viz., it indiscriminately bleaches (i.e., discolors) many colored materials, attacking and altering the fabric color. Thus, in cleaning laundry textiles, commercial hypochlorite bleaches can only be used for white clothing. It should also be noted that the aggressive bleaching nature of hypochlorite weakens the fabric of clothing. Thus, after a number of washings, the treated materials are usually less durable.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,602,090, issued to Melikyan et al. on Feb. 11, 1997 for SURFACTANTS BASED AQUEOUS COMPOSITIONS WITH D-LIMONENE AND HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND METHODS USING THE SAME, and 6,316,399, issued to Arman V. Melikyan on Nov. 13, 2001 for SURFACTANTS BASED AQUEOUS COMPOSITIONS WITH D-LIMONENE AND HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND METHODS USING THE SAME, compositions are disclosed suggesting the use of the combination of hydrogen peroxide and terpenes. The description relates to a product incorporating hydrogen peroxide and the hydrophobic terpenes in a liquid composition. The function of this liquid composition is not for the laundering of textiles and fabrics.
In addition, the liquid compositions of the Melikyan patents are not formulated for high pH levels exceeding 9.5, which enhance the bleaching effects of the hydrogen peroxide. These patents teach the requirement of low pH levels to make the liquid combination of terpenes and hydrogen peroxide stable in solution.